At their lunch meeting Thursday, Exchange Club member Otis Stone gave a report of the National Exchange Club Convention, which he attended in Birmingham over the summer.

"I had more fun than I've had in a long time," he told his peers.

Stone updated the club on several things he learned at the convention, including news about the National Exchange Foundation.

"The National Exchange Foundation is operating 64 child abuse victim centers," he said. "Child abuse is the biggest program this organization has."

He said there were also other centers where Exchangites volunteered their time to answer phones and helped abuse victims find help.

"The Exchange Club is very serious about child abuse," he said.

But not only does the club seek to help victims, Stone said the club also wants to recognize those who have risen above their circumstances.

"There's a big new program for recognizing youth," he said. "It's called Accepting the Challenge for Excellence."

Stone said the program recognizes youth that have made a "dramatic change" during their high school years and have overcome physical, mental or emotional obstacles. The national winner receives a $10,000 scholarship.

"This is a chance to do something for someone that nobody else does," he said.

Stone said he was impressed with the new program and suggested that the Exchange Club of Troy adopt it.

He also suggested that a few of Troy's members travel to nearby cities and start Exchange Clubs elsewhere. Stone also said he volunteered to help with Operation Turnaround, an Exchange Club program designed to help struggling chapters.

For Troy's chapter, Stone suggested using a newsletter to help recruit members and publicize meetings.